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S3047119th CongressWALLET

Restoring Rural Health Act

Sponsored By: Senator Hyde-Smith, Cindy [R-MS]

Introduced

Summary

Preserve Critical Access Hospital (CAH) treatment for some rural hospitals. This bill would create a time-limited rule that treats facilities that were CAHs on January 1, 2024 and that received CMS notices of distance-rule noncompliance between December 1, 2024 and January 1, 2027 as meeting CAH eligibility under the Social Security Act. It changes the statutory eligibility language to add a specific subclause covering that date window and regulatory reference.

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  • For rural hospitals: It specifically covers facilities that were CAHs on Jan 1, 2024 and that CMS notified between Dec 1, 2024 and Jan 1, 2027 that they were noncompliant with the distance requirement in 42 C.F.R. 485.610(c). Those facilities would be treated as meeting CAH-related criteria despite those notices.
  • For communities served by those hospitals: The bill keeps those facilities within the CAH eligibility framework so they continue to receive CAH-related treatment under the statute rather than being removed from that framework.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

Protect Rural Hospital Medicare Status

If enacted, this bill would let certain rural hospitals keep their Critical Access Hospital (CAH) treatment even after a CMS distance-rule noncompliance notice. To qualify, the facility must have been designated a CAH on January 1, 2024 and must receive a CMS notice between December 1, 2024 and January 1, 2027 that it failed the distance requirement in 42 C.F.R. §485.610(c) (or a successor rule). This would preserve the Medicare payment treatment tied to CAH status for those hospitals. The bill does not authorize new funding beyond changing the CAH eligibility rule.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Hyde-Smith, Cindy [R-MS]

MS • R

Cosponsors

  • Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 10/23/2025

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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